Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has made strong progress in integrating workers with special needs into the labor market, increasing their share to 12 percent in 2020 from 7.7 percent in 2017, Al Eqtisadiah reported.

The progress is attributed to the National Transformation Program (NTP), a five-year initiative launched last year to support the government’s
Vision 2030 development plan. Empowering those with special needs was part of the agenda when Riyadh hosted the G20 summit in December, 2020.

Under the NTP, the Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities has been established, as the Kingdom seeks to empower those with special needs and help them become more active members of society.

The Authority has been working to improve legislation and introduce policies to support those with special needs in accessing services, including rehabilitation.

Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Development Fund has helped about 1,340 people with special needs, while 1,316 have benefited from Ministry of Housing programs, and 866 have received training from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.